French memories of D-Day tell a different story

The role played by Britain and the Empire in June 1944 is misrepresented in
the histories of other nations

SIR – Some years ago when in Normandy to see the remains of the wonderful and successful Mulberry Harbour, I bought a French book, printed in English, called "100 Dates of French History".

Imagine my horror and disgust to find the entry for “American landings in Normandy” in 1944, without any mention of the troops of Britain and the Empire, which were in the majority. I wonder how many French children and their parents are misled by this anti-British history.

Michael Smedley Radford Semele, Warwickshire

SIR – The majority of films covering the D-Day landings show a lot of footage of American troops storming the beaches of Normandy, but very little of the British and Canadian assaults.

Could it be that the American commanders thought it more important than the British to have lots of cameramen covering the attack?

As a result of this filming, the youngsters of today could be forgiven for thinking that we played a minor role in the D-Day landings.

Gordon Green Porlock, Somerset

SIR – It distresses me that Gary Victor (Letters, June 4) should object to Government funding for “events based on attic rummages for mainly unknown relatives from the First World War”.

My father fought in the Salonika Campaign of September 1918, winning the Military Cross for rescuing five parties under fire. Despite being “blown up by a shell”, as the citation states, he recovered.

Not having children myself, I have recently reluctantly had to pass on his Military Cross, together with papers including the citation and the recommendation from the men under him, to the National Army Museum in Chelsea.

David Challen Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire

SIR – My mother had just given birth to my younger brother and was relaxing in the maternity ward of Beckenham hospital when in burst Dr Shipsey. “We’re back in Europe” he shouted, “and the first man on the beaches was an Irishman.”

The mothers all cheered, but then had to cope with all the babies that had awoken and were adding their cheers to the news.

Bob Hill Whitchurch, Herefordshire

The Queen's Speech

SIR – How pleasing for Her Majesty’s subjects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to hear in the Queen’s Speech that more powers will be devolved to them.

However, this Coalition Government seems to have lost sight of the affront to democracy in England of the West Lothian question. The English are not asking for regional assemblies, nor another separate and costly parliament, just that MPs from other parts of the United Kingdom don’t vote on purely English legislation.

Michael Staples Seaford, East Sussex

SIR – All the Queen’s Speech really gave us was a charge for plastic bags. Is that all that the Coalition could knock together?

Max Harris Bishops Waltham, Hampshire

SIR – If only Matt’s cartoon of the Queen announcing that her Government would spend the next year lobbing paper balls at the bin and staring out the window would come to pass. We have more than enough legislation and taxes already.

Robert Warner West Woodhay, Berkshire

Syria: they haven’t got it

SIR – After Britain's destabilising interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and our support for anti-Western elements in Egypt, there is no appetite among the vast majority of the electorate for intervention in Syria (Letters, June 3), not even for “mentoring”, and certainly not for providing military training for anyone involved in that conflict. This is despite the often one-sided media reporting from Syria, which was a stable country before the Western-backed insurrection.

Should the Free Syrian Army and its allies succeed in toppling Assad, it is unlikely that any sort of election would take place there. The establishment of an anti-Western regime sympathetic to al-Qaeda would be much more probable.

British voters trust that the Government has learnt its lesson and will stay well clear of any further interference in the Middle East, where history proves that we just can’t win – those of us who served in Aden and faced rioters in Benghazi certainly found that out.

Lt Col Noel McCleery (retd) Winchester, Hampshire

Finish your dinner

SIR – When asked what was for dinner, my grandmother would invariably reply "Bally-yan-yan", the origin and meaning of which was totally obscure and probably part of a now-extinct Norfolk dialect that she reverted to when stressed.

Paul Strong Claxby, Lincolnshire

SIR – In all of the letters concerning “What’s for dinner?”, it seems as if there is a common theme: providing interesting meals on a daily basis can become an absolute chore. Deflecting with silly answers is a ploy to stop the question.

My family members never ask. They are just grateful to avoid food poisoning.

Gill Pemberton Medbourne, Leicestershire

Save the date

SIR – I recently received a letter from my GP’s surgery. The date, as postmarked, is May 20 2014. The letter invites me for a shingles vaccine: “The clinic is being held on Friday 28th February 2013”.